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In the first episode of Girls, Hannah (Lena Dunham) declares that “[She] thinks [she] might be the voice of [her] generation. Or at least a voice. Of a generation.”

Watching the finale of Girls on April 16, viewers wondered if she was right. Hannah and the rest of the Girls gang are distinctly symbolic of a specific generation. They are spoiled and lost in the age of technology and instant gratification. It is because of this mentality, this need for constant satisfaction, and their inability to settle that the characters of Girls are just as loathsome as they are relatable. Many people may dislike Girls because of the way it displays such qualities, or for its lack of diversity. While these are by no means invalid points, they are points that the show itself is distinctly aware of.

Girls is not a satire, but it understands and emphasizes the absorbed nature of its characters and their culture in such a way that it might as well be. There is nothing that any author has written in a thinkpiece regarding Girls that the show’s writers have not purposefully considered, and in that respect, the show is utter genius. The way in which Dunham, along with her boundlessly talented cast and crew, is able to tackle controversial and provocative issues, such as abortion and sexuality, in ways that are both highly dramatized and realistic is truly impressive and utterly entertaining. As the show reached its conclusion, it continued to push forth controversy, using its impressive final season to tackle issues such as sexual assault and single motherhood, adopting intriguing angles on each issue and proving that the show never lost its wits.

Many hoped that the final season of Girls was that would finally show the titular girls transition into mature women. Overall, this wish was satisfied, as each woman seemed to conclude the series in a state of peace. Interestingly, only half of the main Girls quartet appeared in the final episode, as main characters Jessa (Jemima Kirke) and Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet), as well as the entire male portion of the principal cast, find their conclusions in the second to last episode. While the second to last episode did find satisfying endings for those characters, the last episode felt undeniably empty without the strong presence of the majority of the cast.

While the last episode did provide evidence of Hannah’s growth as a woman, it did not push boundaries the way so much of the series had. Though the show’s conclusion was rather open-ended, it was not nearly as messy or controversial as it could have been.

Interestingly, Girls is a period piece of sorts. Although that may be strange, considering that the show just ended the other week, it is so distinctly representative of a particular societal class existing in the Obama era of our society. As that era comes to a close, it is only natural that Girls does as well. Overall, Girls is a very specific and controversial show that, regardless of how you feel about its characters or its stars, deserves to be praised for its artful and wise representation of the very generation that created it.